A Let’s Go Mum family, Destination Gold Coast and Jetstar Australia partnership feature

We’ve just returned home from a theme park holiday on Australia’s Gold Coast with Destination Gold Coast and Jetstar Australia, and we had an amazing time together!

The Gold Coast is one Australia’s favourite family holiday destinations for good reason – there’s so many fun things to do there!

In addition to being home to some of Australia’s most beautiful beaches, the Gold Coast also offers great entertainment, shopping and food. This makes it perfect for every family member – from toddlers to teenagers, parents to grandparents, the Gold Coast is a fantastic holiday getaway for all.

Fly Jetstar Australia to the Gold Coast & maximise your fun!

We flew Jetstar Australia to the Gold Coast, and it couldn’t have been quicker – or easier!

Getting the family to the Gold Coast is cheaper than ever thanks to Jetstar Australia. They offer direct flights to the Gold Coast with their low fares every day. As an added bonus, there are frequent Jetstar Australia airfare sales that make a Gold Coast holiday even more affordable for families.

Flying Jetstar Australia to the Gold Coast means you can do so much more in a much shorter amount of time. You can be at the Gold Coast in a matter of a couple of hours instead of a couple of days road-trip from the eastern cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Plus, with my action-packed 3 day itinerary, you can make the most of your time – and fit in as much of that Gold Coast family fun (and sun!) as possible.

The Big 3 Gold Coast theme parks

The highlight of our most recent Gold Coast trip for was exploring one of the Big 3 theme parks each day, so in this feature I’ll tell you the highlights of each park, and then list our 3 (and 5 day extension) itineraries.

The Gold Coast is Australia’s undisputed theme park central and plays host to the three biggest theme parks in Australia – Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World.

All three of these theme parks cater to all ages, and are in the business of pure, old fashioned family fun. Each one is geared to give your family the best time away together, ever!

Only have a few days to getaway? Follow our 3 day theme park itinerary!

A Gold Coast theme park a day is the perfect recipe to have a great time together and make some very special family memories, but you don’t need a whole week or even two weeks to visit some of the best theme parks in Australia, and have a great time.

Gold Coast theme parks with kids planning list!

Here’s my list of holiday essentials to ensure your Gold Coast trip goes as smooth as silk!

• Book your Jetstar Australia flights – sign up to Jetstar Australia emails to receive the latest Gold Coast flight discounts and sales.
• Book your departure airport parking if needed – airports often have mailing lists with seasonal specials too!
• Book your accommodation – we stayed at and highly recommend both the Main Beach Tourist Park and Sea World Resort
• Book your hire car – we drove an Avis rent a car – don’t forget to include enough room for your suitcases and any baby seats or booster seats in your hire car booking if needed.
• Buy your theme park tickets online before you go so that you can enter the parks without queuing – Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World are the three major theme parks on the Gold Coast.
• Download the Village Roadshow park app to take advantage of the virtual queue system at Movie World and Sea World so that you can go straight to the front of the queue (once per ride) on several of the popular big rides.

Gold Coast essential packing list – don’t forget!

• Swimsuits
• Sunscreen
• Hats
• Comfortable shoes
• A light jumper or jacket in winter

Three theme parks in three days – our 3-day itinerary!

Having fun on the Gold Coast is as easy as 1-2-3 with our Gold Coast 3 day theme park itinerary. Use it to do all three top Gold Coast theme parks in just three days (with a visit to the Australian Outback Spectacular too!).

Day 1: Dreamworld

9:00am Fly Jetstar Australia into the Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta (or Brisbane Airport) on a morning flight and pick up your hire car. Load the bags and the kids and drive to Dreamworld. You should be at your first theme park within the hour!

10:00am Arrive at Dreamworld – use your pre-purchased online tickets to be barcode-scanned into the park.

Dreamworld is famous for…

Rides, and lots of them, with a dedicated small children ride area. Dreamworks Popular characters appear for free photo selfie sessions around the park. There is a huge fairy themed, tiger, motor racing and LEGO shop, a dedicated native animal zoo walk through area and fun shows to watch.

How much time do you need to see Dreamworld?

Give yourself the entire day to fully explore this theme park.

Don’t miss…

For families with teenagers & thrill seekers: the Steel Taipan roller coaster – this 1.2km long triple launch roller coaster will have you racing back to do it all again.
For families with small children: ABC Kids World has lots of little kid rides that will delight.
For all ages: Tiger Island – the Tiger Island show is an amazing way to see tigers close-up performing natural behaviours such as swimming and leaping that will have the whole family gasping in wonder!

4pm Dreamworld closes. Drive to your villa accommodation at Main Beach Tourist Park. Drop by the supermarket on the way to grab some supplies for breakfast and dinner. Have a rest or swim in the resort pool before heading out to dinner just a five minute walk away at the Southport Yacht Club, or drive five minutes away to one of the masses of fantastic family friendly restaurants in Surfers Paradise – don’t forget to take a walk on the night-lit famous sandy beach!

Watch our day at Dreamworld video

Watch the video of our day at Dreamworld here!

Don’t miss another of our Australian family YouTube videos! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here 

Day 2: Warner Bros. Movie World

Sunrise Swim, surf or take a stroll along gorgeous Main Beach just across the road from Main Beach Tourist Park for a great start to your day on the Gold Coast!

8:00am Cook breakfast or have breakfast at one of the cafes around Surfer’s Paradise.

9:00am Drive to Warner Bros. Movie World in Oxenford. The park opens at 9:30am and the rides start at 10am.

9:30am Arrive at Movie World – use your pre-purchased online tickets to be barcode-scanned into the park.

Movie World is famous for…

Being known as Hollywood on the Gold Coast, with themed areas and rides, many DC Comics themed. There are several large thrill rides and a dedicated ride world for small children. There is a stunt car show at set times each day, a 4D theatre, and several character shows throughout the day with numerous character appearances for photos and a main street parade.

Village Roadshow Theme Parks app

Use the Village Roadshow Theme Parks app to take advantage of the virtual queue system at Movie World (and Sea World) that you can use to go straight to the front of the ride queue on several of the popular big rides. You can only book one ride at a time. Aim to use this mostly in the first half of the day on the major thrill rides with the biggest queues like DC Rivals, Superman Escape and Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster. These rides tend to exhaust their virtual queue allocation by around lunch time. Alternatively, you can wait for your turn in line, or purchase an Express Pass/VIP pass at the photo booth at the gate to skip to the front of the ride queues. These can sell out, so don’t leave it until it’s too late.

Ride photos

Ride photos are a must to capture great candid family pics! Pick up a photo wrist band bar code (free) to scan any ride photos taken during rides. At the end of the day, you can pick and choose which photos you’d like to buy at the photo booth, or purchase a Fast Photo $50 all digital photo download package for ride photos at both Movie World and Sea World (we did this and it’s great value as you can end up with several really fun ride photos like the one above taken on the Spooky Coaster!)

How much time do you need to see Movie World?

Give yourself the entire day to fully explore this theme park.

Don’t miss…

For teenager families & thrill seekers: DC Rivals, Superman Escape, Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster and the Batwing – these super thrilling rides will have your heart in your mouth!
For families with small children: WB Kids World with a Mini Driving school, and more fun rides for the smallest thrill-seeker! You’ll also find the smaller but still exciting Road Runner Coaster
For all ages: The Stunt Car show and Scoob 4D movie theatre (several times daily) and Mainstreet character parade (at 3:30pm) are absolute must-sees during your visit.

5:30pm Movie World closes.

Suggested option one: Sea World Resort, Main Beach

5:30pm Drive to your accommodation at Sea World Resort, Main Beach to check in. Perhaps have a pre-dinner swim in the resort pool and let the kids play on the Sponge Bob Square Pants splash pad. Have dinner at the resort’s family-friendly Shoreline Restaurant. It not only has every kid-friendly meal you can think of such as spaghetti, nuggets and chips, it also features live music for mum and dad, plus face-painting for the kids!

Suggested option two: Australian Outback Spectacular Heartland show

6:10pm Go to the Australian Outback Spectacular Heartland show. The whole family will love this unique family-friendly dinner show that tells a great Aussie outback story. An experience featuring a stunning light show with real animals – including horses, dogs and cattle. Everyone gets a free cowboy hat too! Enjoy pre-show drinks, live country music entertainment and photo opportunities with the animal stars of the show! Read more about the show in our feature here.

9:30pm After the show ends, drive to your accommodation at Sea World Resort, Main Beach.

Watch our day at Movie World video

Watch the video of our day at Movie World here!

Don’t miss another of our Australian family YouTube videos! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here 

Day 3: Sea World

8:00am Enjoy the huge selection at the buffet breakfast in the Sea World Resort at the Shoreline restaurant

9:15am Check out of the Sea World Resort

9:30am Exit the resort to directly access Sea World via a door located near Reception, scanning your pre-purchased online digital ticket as you go. Walk up the ramp and straight into Sea World. It doesn’t get more convenient than that! You will find yourself near the Dolphin arena and Castaway Bay water play area. The park opens at 9:30am and the rides start at 10am.

Sea World is famous for…

Its sea animal shows and enclosures. There are also several large thrill rides and a dedicated ride world for small children. There are sea animal displays, extra animal experiences available to purchase, and a stunt show at two set times each day. There are several walk through aquariums, a water play area, and climbing structures for the more energetic kids. New feature rides are currently under construction, so stay tuned!

Village Roadshow Theme Parks app

Use the Village Roadshow Theme Parks app to take advantage of the virtual queue system at Sea World (and Movie World – the two parks are owned by the same company) that you can use to go straight to the front of the ride queue on the popular big rides. You can only book one ride at a time. Alternatively, you can purchase an Express Pass/VIP pass to skip to the front of the ride queues, or just wait your turn in line.

Ride photos

You can also use your Movie World photo wrist band at Sea World to scan any ride photos taken during rides.

How much time do you need to see Sea World?

Give yourself the entire day to fully explore this theme park.

Don’t miss…

For families with teenagers & thrill seekers: the Storm and Jet Rescue Coasters, and the Vortex will spin you into another dimension!
For families with small children: Nickelodeon World has a carousel, mini roller coaster and several more fun rides for little ones.
For all ages: The seal and dolphin shows are an absolute must-see, and the stunt show is also great fun. For $9 you can purchase a cup of fish to feed to the rays at set times. See the penguins who currently (September 2022) have a huge fluffy baby, neon-lit jelly fish, resident polar bears and the incredible underwater world of Shark Bay. Book a dolphin experience for life-changing memories – we’ll never forget ours!

5:00pm Sea World closes. Return to the Sea World Resort to pick up your bags and car and drive back to the airport to drop off your hire car and catch your Jetstar Australia evening flight home.

Add these two days for a 5 day Gold Coast theme park itinerary:

Day 4: Consider visiting Paradise Country – described as an authentic Australian farm experience with wildlife presentations and koala experiences available. See Shaun’s Aussie Adventure Show (Meet and Greets available), the Stock Horse Arena and Billy Tea Show. Stockman Show. There are also pony rides. Operating hours are 10am-3pm.

Day 5: Consider visiting one (or both!) of the Gold Coast water parks – Wet N’ Wild (year round – 10am-5pm or 4pm in the colder months) or WhiteWater World (WhiteWater World is a seasonal theme park closed for winter, reopening September 10 2022. Opening times vary 10am-4pm/5pm).

Gold Coast family accommodation

Whilst on the Gold Coast we were hosted by two outstanding family accommodation options.

Main Beach Tourist Park

Main Beach Tourist Park is an incredible Gold Coast holiday park located right across the road from Main Beach, next door to Surfers Paradise! You can read all about our stay at Main Beach Tourist Park in our feature article here.

Sea World Resort

The Sea World Resort is the famous family themed accommodation resort with direct access to the Sea World theme park! You can read all about our stay at the Sea World Resort in our feature article here.

Even more fun Gold Coast attractions and activities

Of course, the Gold Coast isn’t just about Australia’s biggest and best collection of theme parks. There’s so much more to do and see!

No trip to the Gold Coast would be complete without a visit to one of the many stunning white sandy beaches. There are multiple fun attractions all over the Gold Coast, with lots located in and around Surfers Paradise. Don’t forget to snap a photo under the iconic Surfers Paradise sign while you’re there!

Seasonal whale watching cruises always seem to find a whale or ten to see, and Sea World run their very own whale watching cruises so that you only have to walk out of your accommodation and onto the boat!

The Gold Coast has some of the best shopping in Australia with several massive shopping malls like the huge Pacific Fair, Robina Town Centre and Harbour Town outlet shopping centre.

Getting to the Gold Coast

How long does it take to fly to the Gold Coast?

It’s faster than you think to fly to the Gold Coast, or alternatively to Brisbane.

To get to the Gold Coast Airport of Coolangatta is a 2 hour flight from Melbourne Airport, 1 hour and 20 minutes from Sydney Airport and 1 and a half hours from Canberra Airport.

To fly to Brisbane Airport is a 2 hour and 10 minute flight from Melbourne Airport, 1 hour and 30 minutes from Sydney Airport and 1 hour and 40 minutes from Canberra Airport.

So you’ll be arriving in the Gold Coast in no time!

Car Hire at Brisbane or Coolangatta Airports

There are numerous car hire companies available at both the Coolangatta Airport and Brisbane Airport, with competitive rates. We drove an Avis hire car from Brisbane Airport, and it was one of the closest hire car stations to the main airport terminal. The hire car was quick and easy to both pick up and drop off with a petrol station located next door to the airport to top up the fuel tank – everything went without a hitch.

How long does it take to get from the Coolangatta Airport to the theme parks?

It takes around 35 minutes to drive to the Coomera (Dreamworld) and Oxenford (Movie World) theme parks from Coolangatta Airport, and around 45 minutes to drive there from Brisbane Airport.

It takes around 30 minutes to drive from the Coomera/Oxenford theme parks to Sea World Gold Coast at Main Beach. It takes around 40 minutes to drive from Coolangatta Airport or one hour from Brisbane Airport to Sea World.

It’s time to book your Gold Coast family holiday and go have some fun!

So, there you have it! You can book for the Christmas school holidays now – but really, there’s no time like the present to fly to the Gold Coast.

Book now for your next Jetstar Australia Gold Coast holiday with the kids. It’s a great way to reconnect and spend time laughing and having fun together. The memories you make will be absolutely priceless – ours certainly are.

The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Destination Gold Coast and Jetstar Australia for this Gold Coast visit

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Read our Gold Coast theme park holiday guide here

Main Beach Tourist Park

A Gold Coast Tourist Park, Main Beach Tourist Park has so much going for it.

The location is perfect – five minute’s drive away from Surfers Paradise, Sea World, and just across the road lies one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Main Beach stretches for miles, right up to Surfers Paradise Beach in one direction, and seemingly to wild, uninhabited beach in the other, right along the Spit Peninsular. As if that wasn’t enough, this cabin and caravan park itself is beautiful.

The surrounding Gold Coast tower blocks let you know that you are in one of the most in-demand areas in Australia. This prime real-estate is the last place you’d expect to find a beautiful holiday park. Yet here you can stay in a luxurious villa cabin or bring your own motorhome or caravan.

A resort swimming pool, games room and playground

Main Beach Tourist Park is packed full of features for a great family holiday.

There’s a beautiful resort swimming pool protected from the sun by shade sails and surrounded by pool lounges. This makes it a great place to pass a lazy afternoon.

A fun kid’s playground and barbeque camp kitchen are also located just outside of the pool area.

There’s a big games room on site with a pool table, and enough claw machines and video games to keep the kids more than happy! You’ll find lots of tourist information brochures in the games room too, for even more holiday inspiration!

Park amenities

Main Beach Tourist Park has modern clean amenities, including a central toilets, showers and laundry building.

Dotted around the park you’ll find numerous barbeque areas and camp kitchens with attached dining areas.

Our family villa

Our luxurious villa slept up to six people and had everything we needed including all bedding, towels, bathroom amenities, kitchen accessories and a full-sized fridge. The whole cabin was spotlessly clean and beautifully presented.

The spacious lounge had two large sofas, a full dining setting and Foxtel TV.

There was a main bedroom was spacious with bedside tables and a large, mirrored wardrobe for clothes. Beautifully fashioned towels decorated the bed upon arrival and was a lovely surprise.

The second bedroom had four bunk beds for the kids and contained another mirrored wardrobe for clothes storage.

A modern bathroom had a separate shower and vanity, and also contained cleaning items. The toilet was located separately from the bathroom, off the hall.

Outside there was a large balcony featuring a BBQ and another dining table looking out towards the beach.

At night the sound of the waves gently lull you to sleep. There’s no doubting that you are at the Gold Coast when you stay at the Main Beach Tourist Park!

A Gold Coast caravan park with a difference

Main Beach Tourist Park is a great accommodation option for both road trips to the Gold Coast, or visitors flying in like us. It has a large range of accommodation options from singles right up to large multi-generational families.

There’s plenty of room to spread out, be comfortable and yet be close to all the Gold Coast attractions – which is everything you need for a great family holiday on the Gold Coast!

To find out more about Main Beach Tourist Park, go to their official website here.

The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Destination Gold Coast, Main Beach Tourist Park and Jetstar Australia for this Gold Coast visit

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Read our Gold Coast theme park holiday guide here

A dinner show like no other!

A family trip to Queensland’s Gold Coast is the perfect time to visit the Australian Outback Spectacular!

We recently experienced the Australian Outback Spectacular for the very first time and found it to be a wonderful family show that we’re still talking about!

The Australian Outback Spectacular is a live show like no other. A unique entertainment-packed pre-show followed by a wonderfully entertaining dinner show suitable for the whole family.

A whole new show – Australia’s Heartland

The latest new show, Australian Outback Spectacular’s Heartland tells a captivating tale of an outback community, and how they band together in the hard times and the good.

The story is told with an immersive mixture of light and sound projections and exciting live action. Courage, comradery, fun and romance of the Australian Outback all comes to the fore in this timeless tale of wonder!

Pre-show fun in the Outback

The pre-show entertainment begins an hour and fifteen minutes before showtime, and it’s well worth arriving in good time to enjoy the complete Outback experience!

The fun begins upon arrival as your tickets are scanned at the front entrance and you are issued with your very own cowboy hat!

Entering the pre-show entertainment arena may have you wondering if you’ve somehow been transported to a fair dinkum outback Aussie pub!

Bazza’s Pub is filled with excited chatter. Horse stables line one side, a cattle dog sits on a barrel on the other. Standing atop a horse carriage, a lovely country and western singer croons out the country classics whilst cowboy-hatted folk line the bar. Families sit at tables, the kids slurp their coloured slushies, whilst mum and dad enjoy a beer or wine.

This is a really fun place to be, and an essential part of the Australian Outback Experience!

People of all ages are here to see the show.

During the pre-show entertainment some unique family photo opportunities are possible too. Everyone wants a photo with the stars of the show – the horses and cattle dog! Your photos can be taken during the pre-show period, purchased and delivered to your table during the show.

This is only the start of the Outback Spectacular experience…

Outback Spectacular – the dinner show – Heartland

With the showtime announcement it’s time for everyone to file into the stadium and be directed to their seats.

The show’s “stage” is a soft dirt arena with a huge high tech electronic screen as a backdrop.

Long, bar-like wooden dining benches allow you to sit comfortably to eat dinner whilst facing the arena front-on to enjoy the show.

The lights dip, and the first dinner course is served as the show begins. It really is spectacular!

The enchanting Heartland story is told through gripping, romantic and thrilling scenes. Scene after scene amazes and delights! Vehicles, horse stunts and so much more. This is no boring theatre show, but a series of scene changes of the most fascinating and electrifying kind. It’s edge-of-the-seat excitment whilst savouring a delicious three course meal – what a marvelous combination!

Table service during the show is attentive and seamless. Drinks are topped up and meal courses are whipped away and replaced with the next delectable course at a time appropriate to the show. All culminating in a scrumptious dessert whipped up especially for Heartland!

An Australian show for all Aussie age groups

Young and old all enjoy the Outback Spectacular. The show is clearly an all ages show with a lot of appeal.

Older folk clap and sing along as they recognise much of the Australiana soundtrack. Children’s eyes grow wide with excitement at the appearance of livestock thundering into the arena. Young couples sit closely together, swept up with the romance of it all. Friends and family all gasp at the thrills of the stunts, and at the pure spectacle of this amazing live show!

As dessert is served the show draws to its dramatic close. The audience are encouraged to join in, swaying back and forth in wonder and holding their smart phone torches high in unison – what an amazing experience the Australian Outback Spectacular show has been!

We absolutely loved our night at the Australian Outback Spectacular – from the pre-show entertainment to the show itself, this really was a wonderful Gold Coast family night to remember!

Show information

How long is the Australian Outback Spectacular?

The Outback Spectacular show runs for one hour and forty five minutes.

When is the Australian Outback Spectacular?

There are mainly evening shows and some Sunday matinees. It’s best to check the official 2022 show calendar here for the correct times and dates.

Where do I get tickets for the Australian Outback Spectacular?

Get your tickets for the Outback Spectacular at the Village Roadshow Theme Parks website here.

Where is the Australian Outback Spectacular located?

The Australian Outback Spectacular address is off the Pacific Motorway at Oxenford on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

How do I get to the Gold Coast of Australia?

You can fly Jetstar Australia direct to the Gold Coast. They offer cheap flights to the Gold Coast with their low flight fares everyday. Check out the latest Jetstar Australia airfare sales here

Where should I stay on the Gold Coast when seeing the Australian Outback Spectacular?

The Sea World Resort offers Outback Spectacular discounts and a shuttle bus to the Australian Outback Spectacular. Sea World Resort is the famous family themed accommodation resort with direct access to the Sea World theme park! You can read all about our stay at the Sea World Resort in our feature article here.

To find out more about the Australian Outback Spectacular, go to their official website here.

The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Destination Gold Coast, The Australian Outback Spectacular and Jetstar Australia for this Gold Coast visit

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Surfers Paradise is overflowing with family entertainment and fun – but what activities should you choose to spend your hard-earned holiday dollars on – particularly if your holiday stay is only for a few days?

Check out this list of the best Gold Coast family fun activities. Several of these activities are short and sweet, so if your family is super-energetic you can probably fit most of them into just a few days. Best of all, everything is within walking distance of all the big Surfers Paradise hotels.

So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the Let’s Go Mum! top 10 Surfers Paradise Gold Coast attractions and activities for families!

1. Ripley’s Believe it or Not

A must-see for families, Ripley’s Believe it Or Not is a fascinating museum of the remarkable, unusual and sometimes even macabre. Situated right in the centre of Surfers, here you can see genuine artefacts, historical recreations, gory tortures, optical illusions, and even the odd shrunken head or two! With a laser room for the kids to try-out their spy creeping skills, and even a disco room to bust-a-move, the whole family is going to really love navigating the windy, intriguing passages of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Take a virtual walk-through with our video here

More info and current prices can be found at the Ripley’s Believe it or Not website here

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Ripley’s Believe it or Not

2. Surfers Paradise Beach

If you visit Surfers Paradise and don’t take the kids to the beach – well, you really haven’t been to Surfers Paradise! The sand is pristine white, groomed every morning. The surf, whilst sometimes rough, is crystal clear blue. During whale season you can often watch Humpback Whales leaping and flapping about off-shore. Buy buckets and spades for the kids from any of the beach shops along Cavill Avenue, grab your swimsuits and head for the iconic Surfers Paradise beach arch sign. The beach is straight-ahead, and stretches for miles! An hour will do, or better-still, give yourself a morning or afternoon to play, swim, eat and chill on the scattered bench-lounges along the boardwalk – it’s the best Surfers Paradise family entertainment around!

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Surfers Paradise Beach

3. Aquaduck Safaris

This hour long land and water tour in an amphibious bus is a fabulous family activity, and it leaves right from the centre of Surfers Paradise. The kids will love boarding this enormous duck bus which tours through Surfers Paradise, along the Esplanade and makes its way to the Broadwater. Here it summarily plunges right on in to the waterway to become a boat! Every child gets to steer the Aquaduck, which they just adore, and makes for a brilliant photo moment! During the cruise you get to sticky-beak at rows of millionaire’s water-front homes. Eventually you once-again emerge out of the water via a boat ramp, and voila – you’re in a bus again to take you back to Surfers Paradise! You can see our YouTube video of the Aquaduck going from water to land here. This experience is easy to fit in to any schedule, and heaps of fun to boot. Tours depart regularly from 10am to 5:30pm. Departure location: 36 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise

Book your Aquaduck Tour here

More info and current prices can be found at the Aquaduck website here

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Aquaduck Safaris

4. The Night Markets

The Night Markets are held three times a week – Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, open from 4pm to 9pm – so you really have no excuse to miss them! Strung along the beach esplanade, overlapping the Surfers Paradise beach arch sign, you’ll find all kinds of souvenirs, snacks and knick-knacks for sale. But it’s not the market stalls that you come for – even though they are great. It’s the fabulous atmosphere. Here’s a short video clip to give you a taste of the Night Markets – buskers play, tourists and locals mingle and the Surfers Paradise Beach waves tumble and roar in the background, lit up bright as day. What’s not to love about the Surfers Paradise Night Markets?!

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to the Night Markets

5. Surfers Paradise Timezone

Upstairs from Cavill Mall in the middle of Surfers Paradise you’ll find the largest Timezone fun-parlour in Australia. It’s absolutely massive, chock-full of Dogems, video games, mini golf and indoor entertainment of all types – most ages are going to find something really fun here, and you can spend quite a lot of time having a go of everything. Timezone is the perfect activity for a rainy day or evening out with the family in Surfers Paradise.  Here’s a walkthrough video to show you just how big it is!

More info and current prices can be found at the Timezone website here

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Timezone

6. Skypoint Q1 Observation Deck

At the top of the Q1 building, 77 Floors high above the Gold Coast you’ll find a an observation floor with amazing views up and down the Gold Coast. Board the super-fast lift to get to Skypoint – check out our video of the fun lift-ride here! At the top there’s a great relaxed atmosphere, with bands playing, a café and bar and a small theatre with videos all about Surfers Paradise playing. A great time to go is just prior to sunset so you get the best of both views – day and night. You can even do a climb up the spire outside (additional cost) if you are over 13 years of age.
Skypoint is around six minutes walk from the Surfers Paradise beach sign, and a great way to fill in an hour or two.

Book your Skypoint Climb Experience here!

Book your Skypoint Observation Deck Tickets here!

More info and current prices can be found at the Skypoint website here

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Skypoint

7. Cavill Mall

The Cavill Mall is the true centre of Surfers Paradise. This is where you’ll find the crowds at any given time of day or night. Buskers put on great displays of magic, music, acrobatics and more. Restaurants line the way, along with gaudy boutiques, souvenir stores and tour guides touting their specials (don’t buy them – they’re usually an attempt to get you out to look at Time-Share condos or some-such). Running along one side of Cavill Mall is the Paradise Centre, an indoor shopping mall with some great boutiques. Downstairs you’ll find a full-sized Woolworths supermarket – this is the best value place around to stock up on your holiday grocery needs, or just grab a barbeque chicken for dinner! You haven’t soaked up the Surfers atmosphere until you sit down on one of the benches in Cavill Mall and people-watch. Here’s a little video clip of Cavill Mall at night.

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Cavill Mall

8. Helicopter Flight and Ultimate Jetboat Ride Combo

Take a walk on the wild side with a helicopter flight and jetboat ride combination for a wild day out! Family friendly, kids aged 5 up can do this too!

During your combo you’ll experience a:

• 10-minutes helicopter flight experience along the stunning Gold Coast coastline
• 55-minute jetboat adventure through Gold Coast Broadwater

Book your helicopter and jetboat combo experience here

Book just a Gold Coast helicopter flight here

9. Jet Ski Island Safari Tours on the Gold Coast

Located in Surfers Paradise, this cool experience has your driving your own jetski, and you can carry a child on the back from age 7 yrs up! Two people per jet ski.

10. Go Whale or Dolphin Watching (Seasonal)

The Gold Coast is a whale watching centre from the months of June to November. Being out on the ocean off Surfers Paradise is incredible – you get to see whales and dolphins frolicking, and it’s so beautiful to look back at the high rises of Surfers as a background against whales leaping!

Here are two Gold Coast whale watching boat tour options for you:

Book your Whale Watching adventure with Spirit of Gold Coast Whale Watching here

or

Book your Whale Watching adventure with Kokomo Cruises here

Still looking for Gold Coast fun? Don’t forget the famous theme parks, a short drive away.

Bonus ideas! Gold Coast theme parks

The top three family theme parks are Dreamworld, Movie World which are twenty minutes drive away, and Sea World which is just ten minutes drive from Surfers Paradise.

Of course there are many more great Surfers Paradise and Gold Coast attractions for families in addition to the ones we’ve listed here – but these are our top-ten picks – we hope your family has an absolutely fantastic Queensland holiday!

Have you visited any of these attractions? Perhaps you’ve had a great family experience elsewhere in Surfers Paradise? We’d love to know! Tell us about it in the comments below…

All opinions are our own – Let’s Go Mum! were invited guests of Ripleys Believe It Or Not, Aquaduck, Whales in Paradise and Skypoint.

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Is Soul really the best hotel on the Gold Coast?

There are a lot of great resorts up and down Queensland’s Gold Coast, but few have both luxury and location nailed. Soul is a very popular five-star Gold Coast hotel for the super-rich from all around the world. The main entrance looks like something out of Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous – Maserati’s, stretch-Mercedes and Ferraris of Soul’s affluent guests abound.

Some guests live there, some are on holiday – some even stay for several months over winter. The lifts are full of supermarket deliveries to the rooms of Dubai nationals taking time-out from the heat of the Emirates in Summer, and the odd nanny escorting children down to the pool for a swim. People-watching is just part of the fascinating experience of staying at Soul!

The best accommodation location in Surfers Paradise

Soul is widely recognised as the best-located luxury apartments in Surfers Paradise – and for good reason – it’s smack-bang in the centre of Surfers Paradise, and directly opposite the beach front. This makes for unparalleled convenience, and absolute ocean views.

Walk out of the Soul hotel’s front doors, and you’ll find yourself across the road from the world’s most beautiful beaches – Surfers Paradise beach – famous for it’s clean white sands and crystal-blue rolling waves. Take the kids for a splash in the sea under the careful watch of the Gold Coast life-saving club, or just go for a stroll along the beautiful esplanade – also home of the fascinating Night Markets three times a week.

If you plan on taking the kids to a theme park during your visit to Queensland, Sea World is just five minutes drive up the road. Dreamworld and Movie World are only about twenty minutes drive away, too.

The iconic Surfers Paradise metal archway sign and busy pedestrian Cavill Avenue are right next door – home of touristy shopping, cheap foot-massages and family entertainment – everything you need for a fun, relaxed holiday – and at Soul, you’re staying in the centre  of it all.

Our two-bedroom Soul Apartment

Staying at Soul apartments is everything you would expect from a five star hotel. Full digital security access, with tags or cards for doors and elevators. Stylish, expensive décor with immaculately maintained interiors and exteriors.

Each apartment features a spacious open-plan lounge and dining area, and is elegantly furnished throughout. Marble-topped tables, plush cushions, glass and mirrors complete the modern luxury look and feel of these apartments. Floor-to-ceiling windows monopolise that fabulous Gold Coast view.

Even though this is Queensland, it still gets cool in the evenings in winter. The apartment has reverse-cycle climate control to keep things at the right temperature, no matter what time of year it is.

The apartment layout and space gives a family of four plenty of room for togetherness, or alone time too! The lounges are super-comfy, and a great spot to settle down when you’ve all dropped from Gold Coast too-much-fun-exhaustion and just need some quiet-time to watch a family movie together.

There is a plethora of modern appliances throughout the apartment too. Stero systems, flat screen TVs in each room, a bluetooth DVD player, and well-optioned Foxtel Pay TV too.

The bedrooms

We stayed in a two bedroom apartment, however Soul three bedroom apartments are also available for larger families.

Our master bedroom was huge, with a king-sized bed, direct access to the main balcony and a spacious en-suite.

The en-suite vanity has two basins. The shower is oversized, strong and hot. It also features a deep spa bath tub with a glass window overlooking the master bedroom, and then on, out to the balcony and view beyond.

The second bedroom has two single beds and even has its own sea-view balcony. You can to drift off to sleep each night whilst watching the rolling waves of the Surfers Paradise beach far below.

Both bedrooms feature comfortable beds with pristine linen, flat-screen televisions, plenty of wardrobe space and heavy curtains on the floor-to-ceiling windows.

A smaller, second bathroom services the second bedroom.

The kitchen

The kitchen has plenty of space, and is fully optioned for a three-course dinner, or simply serving up the kid’s morning breakfasts at the kitchen bar or dining table.

There’s a large corner pantry to hold your groceries, a large fridge with ice water dispenser, full sized oven with cook-top plus a microwave. There’s a super-quiet dishwasher, and the usual hot water kettle jug, toaster, crockery, pots and pans and cutlery.

A laundry nook

A quiet front-loader washing machine and separate dryer reside in their own little alcove opposite the kitchen area. A storage cupboard holds cleaning products and an iron. There is also a washing basket, ironing board and airer/drying rack.

But a video is worth a thousand words – here is our Soul 2 bedroom apartment walk-through video.

The balconies and view

As expected, Soul offers amazing, expansive views of the ocean and Gold Coast for miles in multiple directions.

Our apartment was on the 30th floor, and featured two balconies – the small one off the second bedroom, and one huge main balcony, which extended along the lounge and main bedroom. The large table and chairs are perfect for al-fresco dining, and there’s a long lounge chair to snooze or read a book on.

Of course with those breathtaking views overlooking Surfers Paradise Beach all the way up and down the Gold Coast, the balcony is the perfect place for sighting whales during whale-watching season.

The only way to effectively show you the scope of the balcony view, is by video, so take a look for yourself…

Spending time out on the balcony just watching everything that goes on is lots of fun – the pool, beach strip and night-markets, beach-goers, surfers, shoppers – the passing parade of news helicopters, joy-flights, blimps and birds – there is always something going on in Surfers Paradise. Take a pair of binoculars, or a good zoom camera and you’ve got entertainment for hours!

Here are just a few of the fascinating things we saw from our 30th floor Soul balcony – click on the image to enlarge it.

Soul complex facilities

The Soul hotel / apartments complex offers two swimming pools.

There is a good-sized outdoor pool located on the second floor level, with direct views over to the beach and esplanade, making it a great place to spend a lot of time relaxing on one of the luxury pool lounges.

The outdoor pool is heated just enough to take the chill off. The outdoor spa is hot, however, and there’s two shallow luke-warm baby pools.

During winter (excepting school holidays and weekends),both the outdoor and indoor pools seem to be barely used by guests. Often, we had the entire pool area to ourselves for hours!

You can also access the pool level directly from the street level using a lift in the Soul boardwalk arcade, which means you can pop down to grab some lunch or ice creams, or swim in the surf and then go straight up to the pool without having to walk back through the hotel lobby. There are landscaped barbeque gardens on this level too.

Inside, there is a large indoor pool – again, just slightly heated. There are also two indoor spas – one small, one very large. A steam room and a sauna are located off the spas. There’s also a large sundeck with plenty of lounges located off the indoor pool.

There’s is a small but well outfitted gym spread over two small rooms, located near the pools. The gym rooms have TVs to watch whilst you exercise.

Take a video walk through the the pools area and gym here…

Soul’s onsite restaurant is “Seaduction”, which has views over to the beach. The price range is average to high.

Free parking is onsite in the carpark under the complex. Considering the location of Soul, you can count on an extra five to ten minutes just to get in and out of the city and onto the Gold Coast Highway – but at least you get a rock-star drive though the centre of Surfers each time you go out!

Dining in or out

Although Soul apartments are perfect for self catering, it’s no fun for mum or dad if the family eats in all the time! After all, you didn’t come on holidays to cook and wash up!

Located right outside the entrance to Soul Apartments is a row of good quality cafes and restaurants overlooking the beach (my review of these restaurants is on the way!). Don’t holiday at Soul without sampling at least a couple of these eateries.

In the Soul Boardwalk arcade beside the Soul tower you’ll find a Hogs Breath Café and Pancake Parlour, or if you’re craving fast-food, a McDonalds and KFC are also on the Esplanade strip.

For a quick bite, there is every kind of take-away food bars up and down Cavill Mall. Grab a bench and soak up some atmosphere tucking into your slice of pizza, kebab or hot dog, listening to the buskers play!

How to book a discounted Soul Apartment

Instead of using the regular route to book in at Soul, we used a unit rental company – and there are a few of them. You can find them by Googling, and some you can find as Airbnb type rentals, Stayz and other common holiday booking websites. Booking this way can get you significant discounts, particularly in the winter months.

The Soul building is partially run as Peppers Soul Resort. The remainder of apartments are privately owned. Some owners live on site, and others choose to rent out their apartment using a real estate manager.

Using a private management company, as opposed to booking through Peppers, can reduce your accommodation costs significantly – particularly if you are staying for a few days.

In order to save that money, there are some small inconveniences.

Sometimes you will need to pick your keys up at the rental agency, instead of Soul – so you may need to drive out of your way a kilometre or two.

At the end of the rental, you leave the apartment keys locked inside the apartment.

If you have a hire car, you will need to move the car out of the car park and leave it at the entrance whilst you go back up the lift to leave the keys in the apartment, as normal receptionist assistance does not apply when privately renting.

Hotel reception is there to service Pepper’s guests alone. If you lose your key or have any problems, the people to contact are the rental agency, not reception, so there is a call-out fee. That said, we had one small maintenance issue which was immediately attended to – no problem at all. During our stay we had access to all hotel facilities as per normal – we felt no different to any other Soul guest – but we had paid a greatly-reduced price.

 Soul useful info

Rating: Five-stars
Address: 8 Esplanade, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

Getting there

From the Gold Coast (Coolangatta) airport – approximately 30 mins drive
From Brisbane Airport – approximately 1 hour’s drive
5 minutes walk from the Cavill Avenue tram station
Free parking in the underground car park

Gold Coast Luxury Resorts booking agents

*All prices are correct as at September 2016

This review is an independent, non-sponsored Australian hotel blog review. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever visited the Gold Coast on a family holiday? What did you enjoy doing there? Tell us in the comments below…

The post Soul Apartments review – Surfers Paradise luxury accommodation appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Although we’ve visited the Gold Coast numerous times over the years, we had never been on a whale sight-seeing cruise. We had whale-spotted from the balconies of our different Surfers Paradise hotels, and even though they were so far away, just a glimpse of a whale was cause for excitement – I began to wonder what it would be like if we could actually see one close-up. So when we had the chance to be guests with Whales in Paradise, we jumped at the chance!

Whales in Paradise offer 5 whale tours daily, so fitting the best-timed tour in with your busy holiday schedule is easy. They also have the an advantage over other tour companies, in that they actually leave from Surfers Paradise – so you can just walk on down to the end of Cavill Avenue, where many of the large hotels are located, and you’re at the boat. It took us only five minutes to walk from Soul, near the famous Surfers Paradise beach sign, to the Whales in Paradise boat departure point.

The Whales in Paradise tours feature beautiful, large, modern vessels. When we arrived, all we had to do was check-in at the office and hop on board. This boat was really big, but it didn’t seem crowded at all – numbers are purposely kept small. This is great, because less people on board a large boat means lots of room to move about, and you aren’t jostling for viewing points when there are exciting things to look at – such as whales, dolphins, or even turtles.

After having a quick look around, we settled ourselves down inside the large main cabin. There was plenty of comfy padded seating and lounges next to enormous viewing windows. These had clear covers which could be zipped up in inclement weather. Two marine toilets were located off the main cabin, too. In the centre of the cabin was a staffed tea, coffee and snack station, and passengers were invited to grab a cup of complimentary tea or coffee before departure. This was exactly what I needed after a busy morning with the kids, and got a cuppa for myself and some free bickies for the kids. Everyone was happy!

A crew member circulated with the offer of $2 sea sickness prevention pills. Never motion sick in my life, I decided to get some just to be sure – I didn’t want this cruise to be memorable for the wrong reasons! The kids, as expected, declined any pills – they were veterans of many boat trips and cruises by now, and not as overly-cautious as their mother! I was impressed that this whale tour company were diligent in ensuring their passengers had a great trip – from start to finish.

In the main cabin there was plenty of comfy padded seating and lounges next to enormous viewing windows. These had clear covers which could be zipped up in inclement weather. Two marine toilets were located off the main cabin, too.

The passengers were scattered all about the boat. They were a mixture of international and Australian tourists and holiday-makers – several of them families with children.

There were three large viewing areas on board – and as it happened, we ended up using all three of them during the cruise to try them out – each was as equally good as the others, and gave easy access to both sides of the boat.

Upstairs, some passengers chose to sit on the top deck for 360°views, and the sea breeze in their hair. Others sat along the comfy padded seat on the front section of the ship – otherwise known as the bow. In the main cabin, families chatted as the kids sprawled about on the lounges. Little children weren’t allowed on the bow during whale watching , as a safety measure – they could access all other areas.

Safety was clearly a high priority on board, with staff located all around the boat to ensure passengers comfort and safety. As we set-off, the captain gave a safety talk, with crew members helping to demonstrate life jackets – much as they do in aircraft. It was comforting to know that they were scrupulous about operating safely.

One of the extra bonuses with cruising with Whales in Paradise is that on your way to the Australian Whale Sanctuary, where the whales are found, you also get a Nerang River waterways tour.

We cruised past the sky-scrapers of Surfers Paradise towering over genteel canals lined with the residences of the ultra-rich – massive private yachts parked in front of them. Our entertaining captain chatted away with a commentary about which rich celebrity owned which amazing home – and who had divorced and sold-up – it was all fascinating stuff!

Eventually we made our way out to the open sea. The bow was closed for safety and everyone found a seat as the pace picked up, and we were speeding along on the open ocean. The children squealed with delight as the wind whipped their hair and the sea-spray sprinkled their outstretched faces – they were loving this nautical adventure!

Play our Youtube clip below to see a short video of the boat speeding out to sea below!

Soon we felt the boat slow down – the captain announced that he had spotted some whales! Everyone became excited as they craned their necks – where? Where?! There they are! People couldn’t help crying out in excitement – “I can see WHALES – there they are!”. We just couldn’t believe our eyes.

The first pod (that means group, in case you don’t know – we’ve received a whole whale-education now!) of Humpback Whales we saw were flapping their pectoral fins up and down. The thrilled children decided that the whales were waving to them, and waved back – it was such a beautiful, innocent moment.

After this first sighting, it was whales, whales everywhere! Near the boat, around the boat – even off in the distance, breaching and tail-slapping. The whales curved shiny black backs flashed in and out of the water. To be there, so close to them was an indescribable thrill.

With each whale flip, splash and roll, everyone on board alternately chorused ooh! and ahh! With each new pod sighting came squeals and shouts. We were the perfect captive audience for these rather curious Humpback Whales. The captain encouraged us to call out to them, as he said they could hear us – there was little chance of anyone keeping quiet!

The very experienced captain could often predict exactly where the whales would surface. Sometimes the boat would move to a new position to track a pod – within a respectable distance of course – or seek a new pod out.

We were taught many whale facts along the way, and learned how to spot a whale’s “footprint” – a smooth, oily looking circle of water. All the crew were only too happy to answer questions anyone had.

The really great thing about the Whales in Paradise cruisers is that because they are purpose built for whale watching, the whale-viewing options are endless. You can cross from one side of the boat to the other at will, and even be down with the whales at water-level in the main cabin. This is another unique feature.

Often the tables would turn, and the whales would seek US out, swimming beneath the boat and emerging right beneath us with a flash of aqua, to cries of disbelief – they were so close, it felt like we could reach out and touch them! There was no doubt that everyone was having a wonderful time – people kept exclaiming things like, “I can’t believe I’m seeing this!” and “This is just incredible!”, with all around agreeing whole-heartedly.

Play the YouTube below to see a short video of some of the whale-action!

I loved how we could really relax as the boat meandered around the whale pods – we had so much time to enjoy watching them swim and play, slapping their tails and jumping about, I didn’t feel that we were rushed at all. The whole cruise went for over three hours, which is the longest Gold Coast whale cruise there is. This is extra time you get to spend whale-spotting!

When the captain did finally announce that it was time to turn for home, we all groaned – nobody wanted to leave these gentle, majestic giants of the deep. But home we headed, everyone settling back to chat about the wonders they had seen as the boat powered along.

We had one quick surprise stop on the way back, to view a whale cow and her calf swimming along! The boat set off again and we entered back into the Broadwater. Now we had slowed to a smoother cruising speed it was time for another coffee or tea before arriving back in Surfers Paradise.

As we cruised along the return waterways, I pondered the fact that Whales in Paradise offer a free return cruise guarantee if no whales are sighted – it surely must be a rarity not to spot a whale with them – on our tour, I think we must have seen around thirty whales near the boat, and many more at a distance.

A professional photo had been taken of our family when we first boarded the boat, and now was the time to view and purchase them if we wished, which we did. It would remind us of our wonderful day whale-watching with Whales in Paradise.

If you do get the chance to book a Whales in Paradise tour for yourself, don’t hesitate – it’s a spectacular family adventure to remember and share memories of for a lifetime.

Let’s Go Info!

Whales in Paradise

Admission

Adult $99
Child $69 (3-14yrs inclusive)
Family of 4 $267 (2 adults,2 children)

Departure location

Sightseeing Cruises Terminal (Tiki Village), which is the river end of Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise.

How to get there

By tram: Tram stop Cavill Avenue and walk 100 metres
By car: Parking is available at Bruce Bishop Car Park – Beach Rd.

Daily tour times

Tours depart at 7:30am (returns at 10:45am), 9:00am (returns at 12:15pm), 11:00am (returns at 2:15pm), 1:00pm (returns at 4:15pm), 2:30pm (returns at 5:45pm)

Be sure to arrive 20 minutes early for check-in.

More info, terms and bookings at the official Whales in Paradise website here

All prices are accurate for August 2016
We reviewed this tour as guests of Whales in Paradise

Have you ever been, or do you plan to take the family on a whale watching tour? Comment below!

The post Whale watching Surfers Paradise tours – Whales In Paradise review appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Do you have a spare hour in your holiday schedule in Surfers Paradise? Why not take the kids for an Aquaduck Safari!

Aquaducks are vehicles which take Surfers Paradise visitors on an adventurous tour around the Surfers Paradise area – but in a really different way. They are amphibious vehicles, which means that they can go on both land and water!

You have to experience this tour to appreciate just how fun it is. First Aquaduck is a bus which you have a tourist cruise through Surfers Paradise on – next it’s a cruise boat which gives you a sight-seeing cruise of the waterways behind Surfers Paradise – so it’s two tours in one! At about one hour long, and with tours running throughout the day, this is a great way to fill in a some time with a super-fun family activity.

We had seen Aquaduck buses getting around Surfers Paradise for years – they are so very distinctive with their enormous painted-on duck beaks and eyes, and their super-huge tyres. The kids had been nagging at me for ages to be one of those lucky kids staring out from this strange duck-mobile, so we jumped at the opportunity of being their guest on-board one of their morning tours.

We boarded the Aquaduck from their departure point of 36 Cavill Avenue. This location is right in the middle of Surfers Paradise, and within a stones-throw of lots of the big hotels and resorts there. We walked there from Soul, near the Cavill Mall and Surfers Paradise Beach in just five minutes.

The jolly captain and his beautiful assistant welcome you on-board the Aquaduck – the wheels are so big, to get onto the Aquaduck you need to climb up a steep-ish set of stairs. There were mostly families on board – the kids all knew they were going to get a turn to steer the boat when it was in the water, and excitement reigned!

Off we went on our Aquaduck adventure, down the Esplanade and along the main beach strip road of Surfers Paradise. Finally my kids got to be the lucky kids looking out from the Aquaduck’s big windows!

There is interesting tour guide commentary along the way (including some wise-quacks from the Aqua duck himself), and you get to learn a whole lot about Surfers Paradise that you probably don’t already know (For the parents already totting up how much it would cost to move to the Gold Coast to live in a beach front apartment, hopes were slightly dented with the news that most start at around the 5 million dollar mark!). Within about 10 minutes we were at the boat ramp where we entered the water.

It was surreal to be motoring along the road and then – with some prior warning of course – plunging into the water. Not a beat was missed as our bus turned into a fully fledged cruiser!

The sides of the Aquaduck are open with ropes hung along the base of the huge open windows in a suitably nautical theme, allowing the water breezes to drift in, and a great view of all there is to see on the Broadwater of the Gold Coast.

We cruised along, spotting Whale tour boats, ski boats and private motorboats. The Gold Coast canals are lined with houses of the very rich and famous – fascinating to sticky-beak at. We were told many an interesting tale of the ultra rich sliding into bankruptcy and having to sell their amazing water-front mansions for a knock-down price. 20 million cut down to 9 million? Unfortunately, we parents with Gold Coast dreams were still not on that page – darn!

Soon it was time for each child to take their turn at being the ship’s Captain. Parents were allowed to accompany their child to get that great photo of their child steering the Aquaduck. My two girls were looking forward to this experience most of all. What a thrill to sit in the Captain’s seat and steer the boat! My 10 year old was possibly a little too enthusiastic when she swung the wheel a full 360 degrees! Luckily, our capable captain was on hand to ensure the boat didn’t turn too much in the wrong direction.

When each child had had their turn, they were handed an Aquaduck Licence Certificate – a very proud moment.  We were given the opportunity to purchase souvenirs on board too – the girls chose fluffy ducks ($15) and duck whistles ($5), but you can also get stuffed Aquaduck replica toys ($15) and captain’s caps ($15).

Eventually it was time to emerge from the water way via another boat ramp – the experience of transitioning from boat back into bus was just as exciting the second time around! You can see what this was like here in our video.

Ten minutes later we had cruised along the roads of Surfers Paradise, right back to where we started – it was time to disembark from the Aquaduck!

What a brilliant time everyone had on board the Aquaduck – if you are in Surfers Paradise and have a spare hour, you should really consider taking the kids on an Aquaduck Safari!

Let’s Go Info!

Admission

Adult $38
Child $30
Family of 4 $120
Seniors $34

Departure location

36 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise.

Tours depart regularly from 10am to 5:30pm

More info, terms and bookings at the official Aquaduck website here

All prices are accurate for August 2016
We reviewed this tour as guests of Aquaduck

Have you ever been, or do you plan to take the family on the Aquaduck? Comment below!

The post Family activities in Surfers Paradise – Aquaduck review appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Dreamworld is the Gold Coast theme park we go to for the best variety of fun rides for young kids. ABC Kids World is amazing for toddlers and very young children, and for older kids, Dreamworld ride height minimum limits are lower than some other Queensland theme parks. This suits my primary school-aged kids perfectly. That’s more rides for them to enjoy, which means great value for money for parents – plus the rides are just as fast and thrilling!

Stop! Before you go anywhere in Dreamworld, get one of these…

To kick-off our day at Dreamworld, we arrived right on 10am – opening time – and got a Ride Express electronic device. This clever electronic virtual queuing unit will save you a heap of time for an extra cost. There are three waiting-time options – bronze ($25), silver ($40) or gold ($65). Gold is the fastest option -90% less queuing time – and we found ourselves waiting no more than five minutes at most rides with our Gold Ride Express – fantastic.

School holidays tip: Of the 3 big Gold Coast theme parks, Dreamworld is the only one which still offers virtual queuing during the school holidays

Let’s go – Dreamworld family thrill ride guide

Gold Rush World

River Rapids

For our first rides of the day, we headed straight off into Gold Rush land. Here you’ll find the terrifying Buzz Saw (“Keep walking children!”) and the “get wet” rides – which are a huge hit with everyone in the family – young kids, teens and adults.

A few goes down the rollicking River Rapids rides started the day off on a hilarious note as we rocked, rolled and spun our way down the rapids. I love the way that this ride gets everyone squealing and laughing together – family, friends and even the strangers sat opposite you!

Don’t forget to watch out for the folk on the banks with the water guns – their only aim is to soak you! You’re going to get a little – or maybe even a lot – wet on this ride!

Rocky Hollow Log Ride

Next-up was the Rocky Holly Log Ride – we were already wet, and decided we couldn’t get much wetter! As usual, the Log Ride didn’t disappoint. We had to tear ourselves away after three rides on this one.

You can see what the Log Ride is like for yourself, by clicking Play on the Youtube video below!

Mick Doohan’s Motocoaster

Next we headed off to our first Big 9 Thrill Ride – the Mick Doohan’s Motocoaster.

This zoomy ride will bring tears to your eyes due to it’s speed, but it’s such a lot of fun you can’t help laughing – that is, if you can possibly draw breath!

Even younger kids (who meet a minimum height) are allowed to ride this one – they can hop in one of the side car motorcycles with mum or dad if they are not yet big enough to hop aboard a motorcycle. The Mick Doohan Moto Coaster’s last two carriages are a parent bike and sidecar. At Dreamworld, few kids are left behind!

ABC Kids World

We love ABC Kids World – it’s an absolute gem for parents of little kids and toddlers.

The Wiggles World Little Red Boat, Little Red Car and Dorothy’s Tea Cup rides, Hop and Hoot ride, the Bananas in Pajamas’s maze, Playschool Art Room and Giggle and Hoot pirate ship – there’s just so much to do!

It’s the most colourful, fun playground around which my kids still enjoy – if you have little kids, make a bee-line for ABC Kids World and let the ankle-biters run-riot!

A variety of lunch options

By this time we were all hungry and I managed to talk the kids into pausing for a moment to eat. It was lunch time, and we headed for the large covered central dining area.

Here you can choose from gourmet pizza, chips and burgers, or if you are completely junk-fooded out at this point in your holiday like we were, there is a healthy sandwich and salad bar called “The Sandwich Shop” – pesto salad for me and wraps for the kids – perfect!

Madagascar World

Madagascar theatre show

Onward to the nearby Madagascar theatre show. This popular show plays twice daily at Dreamworld, and is a real hit with families – it also gives mum and/or dad time for a breather!

Jungle Jam tree house

Then off to the Jungle Jam tree house which the kids always love. Kids will be kids, and this is a big house of fun they can go wild in!

The Jungle Jam tree house is full of kids climbing, laughing, firing foam guns and generally having a good time – great for little monkeys of all ages.

Madagascar roller coaster

When I finally managed to drag the kids out of the Jungle Jam tree house, we headed off to the Madagascar roller coaster. This ride is a must for families – smooth, short but still thrilling, this roller coaster will have you all smiling at the end. Lots of fun for everyone.

Ocean Parade World

Hot Wheels Side Winder

Lulled into a false sense of roller coaster security after the Madagascar coaster, we then headed off to take a ride on the Hot Wheels Side Winder (formerly the Cyclone roller coaster).

We excitedly climbed aboard the brightly coloured Hot Wheels car-styled carriages. This huge coaster pumps out the latest tunes whilst it cork screws, loop-the-loops and seemingly jet-propels you down the rails on a thrill-ride which leaves your heart in your mouth – but don’t worry, you can still squeeze a scream out!

Terrific fun at a gazillion kilometres per hour – no wonder the Hot Wheels Side Winder is one of the Big 9 Thrill Rides!

Tiger cubs on the loose!

Upon emerging from the Hot Wheels Side Winder, we came upon a wonderful surprise – a real-live tiger cub sitting up on the gift shop counter!

Dreamworld’s Tiger Island is currently being renovated and improved for the tigers, with the new-look Tiger Island re-opening this September. In the meantime there is a Tiger Kindy nursery playground where you can watch the adorably cute Dreamworld tiger cubs and their big brother Kai play with their toys.

Plus in the afternoons around 2 to 3pm, the young tigers are taken for leash walks around the park for people to walk alongside, and even pat when they stop!

Professional tiger handlers are with the cubs at all times and make sure they are safe and sound, yet are allowed to lead and explore. These gorgeous little-big-cats are just like oversized kittens – only with really, really big paws! They climb on walls, seats, roll around on their backs and generally have a good ol’ time!

There are opportunities for a professional photographer to take your photo with these young tiger-ambassadors too – a percentage of the price of these photos (which cost $10 each) goes to the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation (DWF) to help save their tiger-cousins in the wild, of which only 3,200 remain. DWF is the largest zoological donor to tiger conservation in the world – now that’s amazing! Donate and learn more at the Dreamworld website here.

The Wipeout

When we could finally tear ourselves away from the tigers, we headed over to the Wipeout – I like to think of this rides as – well, terrifying to be honest, but if you ask my ten year old, Brooke, she’ll tell you it’s ‘awesome fun’, and not scary at all if you close your eyes! The Wipeout twists, flips and hangs you upside down for good measure – this is yet another Dreamworld Big 9 Thrill Ride, and it’s most-definitely built to thrill!

The Tailspin

This year we decided to be brave and go on the Tailspin. This high-flying ride looks quite intimidating, but it was actually the most beautiful ride to experience. You really feel like you are flying on the Tailspin! Although it does reach some pretty lofty heights, it’s really just a peaceful glide-ride – a thrilling feeling to whoosh through what surely must be the clouds! But if you’re after even more of a thrill, don’t worry – you can use the wing control handles on your “plane” to set you spinning around and around and around…..don’t miss this one!

The Shockwave

Finally, our last ride of the day was The Shockwave. This ride is another favourite of ours. A massive wheel which rotates and zooms along a short and wavy track – it looks scarily powerful, but is just pure FUN! We had to go on this one a few times, right up until closing. Once you’ve had one ride on the Shockwave, you just can’t stop!

A dedicated Lego store is coming soon to Dreamworld!

Everything is awesome!

As if the amazing Fairytale Treasures, Hot Wheels, ABC Kids World and Madagascar shops weren’t enough to excite the kids into a frenzy, Dreamworld is about to add to their shopping fun with a LEGO® Certified Store!

Opening in November 2016, there will be giant LEGO statues, a LEGO wall, LEGO building areas and everything LEGO! We just can’t wait for the new Dreamworld Lego store to open, just in time for the summer school holidays – awesome!

There’s so much more to Dreamworld than we could ever fit into one day, but we certainly got a large number of rides and fun in!

I hope you enjoyed our round-up of Dreamworld fun for families. Now don’t just sit there – go and visit Dreamworld for yourself – you’ll all have a fantastic family day out!

Let’s Go Info…

Opening hours
Dreamworld is open 7 days a week: 10am – 5pm (excepting Christmas Day)

How to get there
You can get to Dreamworld by car (self-drive easily from your Gold Coast hotel – 20 mins).
Many companies run tour coaches to the Theme Parks – enquire at your hotel reception to book and for pricing.

Tickets
There are some great value passes to Dreamworld available – you can buy an annual pass from $109.99 which also gives you entry to the attached White Water World and the (well-worth a visit) SkyPoint Observation Deck too.
For a full listing of tickets and discount online prices, visit the Dreamworld website here.

All prices are accurate for July 2016
We reviewed this theme park as guests of Dreamworld

Has your family visited Dreamworld? Did your kids love the rides – and did they have a favourite? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Dreamworld – the Gold Coast theme park with more for kids appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Download your free printable ride height guide

Our free, printable Dreamworld ride height guide!

Theme park ride access is kept safe using a height measurement guide, to ensure that children are big enough to be secured safely on the ride. I’ve photographed Dreamworld’s ride height guide for you and created a free printable download to help you plan your day at Dreamworld – just click on the thumbnail, or click here to download and print yours!

Have you visited Dreamworld? What’s your favourite rides or shows? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Dreamworld free ride height-guide to print and take with you appeared first on Let's go Mum.

McDonalds Family Restaurant

Breakfast – Maccas – location-location-location!

Looking straight across the road at the iconic Surfers Paradise sign, this popular golden arches fast food joint has tables on the footpath outside and panoramic windows inside to enjoy that gorgeous Surfers Paradise beach view. It also happens to have the best breakfast pancakes in town – or at least the cheapest ones!

It’s crazy-busy here of course due to the fact that this restaurant is located smack-bang in the middle of Surfers, however with the help of the new McDonald’s self-service consoles you don’t even have to stand in line anymore – just Paywave and wait. The food delivery time is furious and fast, and the food is kid-friendly and served piping hot. Plus you don’t have to worry about your noisy toddlers disturbing diners, because everyone else has ’em here too!

Breakfast prices start at $1 for a hash brown, pancakes around $4, and the rest-of-day menu gives you a complete hamburger meal for around $8.

Open 24 hours, so be as early as you like – this McDonalds family restaurant is located at 1 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise.

Max Brenner Chocolate Bar

Lunch – Max Brenner Chocolate Bar – surely it’s everyone’s fantasy to drown themselves in chocolate….here is your chance!

Just a two minute walk from the main shopping Mall area, the Max Brenner Chocolate Bar is only slightly off the beaten track.

We were only passing by here on our way to lunch when we made the rash holiday decision to skip lunch altogether and go straight to dessert. Good decision!

Upon ordering our chocolate crepes, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate shots and – oh, chocolate everything, lets face it – we were met with an apologetic “There’s a ten minute wait at the moment – is that okay?”. I stared dumbly at the patient waitress, blinking a couple of times before giving myself a mental shake – ten minutes? Where we come from, that’s positively meteoric! I assured her that that was just fine, and sure enough, the food arrived in even less time than that.

The staff at Max Brenner are super friendly and great with kids. Come here for dessert, or even your main if you can stand the impending medical ramifications (Waiter – may I have chocolate on my double-chocolate chocolate with a side of chocolate, please?”)

If you like to save chocolate for your actual dessert (you kill-joy, you!), there’s always the option of grabbing your main meal from the stone’s-throw-away Clock Hotel restaurant. They do great family-budget meals, have al-fresco dining – plus you get to watch the cute clock display on the hour – bonus!

But remember, if you need to justify your holiday meal choices, chocolate never killed anyone, and strawberries on the side constitutes one of your daily serves of fruit…well, pretty-much anyhow. Enjoy!

Prices start at around $4.50 for a cupcake, crepes are around $20.

Located 3240 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise.

Hooters

Dinner – Hooters – we kid you not, Hooters may be a sports bar, but it is also happens to be a great family restaurant!

Perched at the edge of the main Surfer’s Paradise precinct on the Gold Coast Highway, you’re not likely to stumble across this restaurant if you’re just strolling about, so check out its location on your smart phone sat nav map before you go.

Hooters is a busy restaurant as you might expect, however surprisingly its patrons are primarily made up of holidaying young families and other random tourists. The attractive waitresses double as the entertainment, dressed in the obligatory tight t-shirts and shorts (nothing worse than you would see on the footpath everyday in Surfers).

The staff are all very forgiving of noisy children running about, and the waitresses get the kids up and involved in any fun – even dancing the Conga right along with them! The resulting atmosphere is one of hilarity and laughter – the perfect ingredients for a top family night out. Sure, the service time and ordering accuracy leaves a lot to be desired, but the food is divine (no, really – it’s good) and the entertainment aspect of girls dancing on tables and embarrassing birthday victims more than makes up for it.

Free parking is available in the underground Mantra carpark located directly underneath the restaurant.

Prices are moderate to high, with a plate of ribs costing $40 upwards, but there are plenty of $20 burger choices too.

Located at 2893 Gold Coast Hwy, Surfers Paradise

All prices are correct for September 2015

Have you visited any of these family restaurants? Perhaps you’ve had a great experience elsewhere in Surfers Paradise? We’d love to know! Tell us about it in the comments below…

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